Castle at Bram ( Castèl de Bram)

Bram was a castrum in the Languedoc, attacked by the army of the
French Crusaders. Today there is no trace of the medieval fortifications
there.

When Bram fell in 1210, 100 prisoners had their noses cropped,
their lips cut off and their eyes gauged out. One man was left
with one eye so that he could guide the others away. With
a hand on the shoulder of the one in front, and the one-eyed man
at their head, a file of blind prisoners wound its way to Lastours
(Cabaret), a visible demonstration of the ineffable mercy of
God's Christian Army.

Today, there is almost nothing to see at Bram remaining from the
period, though the street layout preserves the pattern of "circulade",
a typical circular village. It lies in the Aude
departément.

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Location

Bram
is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon
region in southern France. The area is part of the old province
of Lauragais.

In 60 BCE, the Romans began construction of a settlement here
and called it Eburomagus. They selected the area because of the
climate, combining the warmth of the Mediterranean with the freshness
of the Atlantic. The present D33 road to the village follows the
old Roman road.

The modern town dates from the 12th century, built around its fortress
church. The only way into the village was by a gate to the east.
Bram is a circulade, its concentric rings once defended by walls
and now evidenced by concentric roads.

Bram was a centre of Cathar belief. In 1210, the head of the Crusaders,
Simon
de Montfort, came here from Montlaur accompanied by the Spanish
monk Dominic
Guzman (now St. Dominic).

Simon took the citadel of Bram after three days of siege. He then
had the nose and upper lip cut from each prisoner, and had their
eyes gauged out.. For one he left one eye eye so he could guide
this lamentable cohort accross the country to seek refuge at Lastours,
the intention being to terrify the Lords of Lastours into surrender.

The modern arms of Bram

The old Arms of Bram

History

It is widely held that the survivors of Montsegur were burnt alive
there in 1244 on the famous Prat dels Cremats, but there is some
reason to believe that they were brought to Bram and burned there
- certainly one was.

A Cathare Parfaite called Alazaïs Raseire, who came from Bram,
had been among those who sought refuge Montsegur
in the first half of the thirteenth century. After the fall of Montsegur
in 1244 Alazaïs was taken back to Bram to be burned alive in
public there. In 2011 the town council changed the name of the rue
de la Mairie to rue Alazaïs-Raseire).

By the 17th century Bram had outgrown its walls. Today nothing
remains of the castle here or of the city walls, though the rings
of roads around the church reflect a expanding series of town walls.

This street is named after a Cathare
Parfaite called Alazaïs Raseire, originally from
Bram.
She was captured at Montsegur, but was returned to Bram
to be burned alive

GUIDED TOURS OF CATHAR CASTLES OF THE LANGUEDOC

You can join small exclusive guided tours of Cathar Castles
led by an English speaking expert on the Cathars
who lives in the Languedoc
(author of www.cathar.info)

Selected Cathar Castles. Accommodation provided. Transport
Provided.

Cathar Origins, History, Beliefs.
The Crusade, The Inquisition, and Consequences